Raccoons are dolce and peaceful creates, but they can become aggressive if they feel attacked. Female raccoons can become very aggressive when pregnant or protecting their young. The mother racoons are fiercely protective of their young and would kill for them. You need to know how to tell if a racoon is pregnant so you can avoid pregnant raccoons. Truth be told racoons and humans shouldn’t be interacting with each other at all and we should especially not interact with pregnant raccoons.
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How to tell if a raccoon is pregnant?
Raccoons don’t develop overly large bellies when pregnant. It can be difficult to figure out if she’s pregnant by looking at the female racoon’s body. Two ways of figring out if a raccoon may be pregnant are: 1. knowing when racoons usually mate/give birth and 2. how a pregnent raccoons bahave.
Mating and birth season:
The mating season of racoons usually happen in the months between and including January and June, this is when they usually breed. The peak of the breeding season, and the optimal time to breed, is January to June. After the breeding season, the racoons will give birth in the springtime.
For the breeding conditions to be considered optimal, the correct weather and environmental factors need to exist, this happens in winter. The males, during this time, will be on the lookout for fertile females. The female racoon is only fertile for 4 days and if she does not become pregnant during this time she needs to wait till she becomes fertile again.
Isolation:
Generally, male and female racoons live separately. The females will congregate in small packs called “fission-fusion” groups. These are convenient because the racoons have a common area where they can feed and rest. Racoons eat differently in the wild vs in urban areas. When the female racoon becomes pregnant she separates herself from the group and isolates herself.
She does this to find a place that is comfortable and away from predators. This is necessary so she can be pregnant in peace and give birth with no threats to her new-borns. She will give birth and will be extremely overprotective of her young.
When the cubs reach a stage where they are self-sufficient, able to find their own food and protect themselves the mother will go back to living in the group. The males are not involved at all after they impregnate the female
How long are raccoons pregnant for?
The gestation period of the racoon lasts about 65 days. The number of cubs that the racoon mother can deliver will range from one to 8. She will not give birth to more than one litter in a year.
What does a new-born raccoon look like?
Baby raccoons and new-born raccoons don’t look alike. New-born racoons are much smaller than adult-sized racoons. They have a very thin coat of fine grey fur. This coat of fur is so thin you can see the raccoon’s skin under it. They don’t have a mask on their faces as other raccoons do and their fur is only one colour.
Baby raccoons develop a thicker layer of fur as they age. The fur colour also changes giving them that well-known black and white look racoons have. This happens a few days after they are born. They are seen as adult-sized once they are larger than a normal-sized house cat.
The new-born babies aren’t able to open their eyes, they can only start to do this after they have reached three weeks old. From birth, they are heavily dependent on their mothers. The baby racoons can live with their mothers for up to a year before they are ready to venture on their own. This is true even if they are able to forge for their own food, run and climb.
Where do raccoons keep their babies?
This depends on if they are in the wild or on your property.
Wild: The mother racoon needs to find a safe place away from other racoons and away from predators. The racoons usually make their habitat and keep their babies in dens in hollow trees. This is to make sure they are high enough to be isolated.
Urban areas: They try to find safe places similar to the ones they would find in the wild. They will find habitats in porches sheds, attics, chimneys and decks. The mother racoons make sure that she keeps her young in a place that is far from human eyes and a place where humans would find it difficult to access
Should I move a pregnant raccoon:
You should avoid removing a pregnant raccoon. Once she creates a habitat for her gestation period she will be aggressive towards you or whoever might try to move her.
You will need to wait until the babies can survive on their own or at least until they are born before attempting to remove them. If you try to remove the pregnant raccoon on your own you might wind up getting injured or the racoon can transmit diseases to you if you are not careful
If a racoon is on your property and is not pregnant then you can remove it. This guide will help you. If you are not sure about the removal process and safety precautions then you should call pest professionals. Removing raccoons can be very dangerous especially if you don’t take precautions and know what you’re doing.
How do you tell if a racoon is a boy or girl?
One way of telling if a raccoon is a boy or a girl is by checking their genitalia. If you want to tell if the racoon is a male or a female simply put the animal on its back and move the fur to see the genitalia. This may be harder to do if you re looking at a wild raccoon but if the raccoon is a domesticated raccoon this will be easier.
The raccoons have their genitals in front of the anus. Both male and females have bumps in the genital area. If the bump looks like a slit then the raccoon is a female. If the bump is long then that animal is a male.
You may not be able to get to the genitalia but you can figure out if the racoon is male or female by their size and features. The male racoon is usually larger than the female racoon and the males have wider heads than the females.
Another way of telling what the gender of a raccoon is, is by taking note of its behaviour. Female raccoons are the ones with a litter of baby raccoons following her. The female racoons are also more likely to be seen foraging for food for her children. Female raccoons may also be looking for adequate places to create nests so you’ll most probably find her in small secluded spaces like your attic.
Do baby raccoons carry diseases?
Yes, baby raccoons carry disease. They may seem cute and cuddly, but they can carry a number of diseases and can give these diseases to you. Rabies is a disease that baby raccoons carry. Raccoons and baby raccoons can also carry other diseases including: Baylisascaris procyonis, Giardiasis, Leptospirosis, Salmonella and E. Coli.
These are wild animals and we don’t know what happens to them in the wild. In addition, it isn’t always obvious that raccoons or baby raccoons are carrying a disease. For that reason, you need to fight the urge to keep them as pets.
Why do baby raccoons cry?
One of the reasons baby raccoons cry is because the mother has left it and is out foraging for food. They can also make a crying sound when they are cold or hungry.
This crying can go on for hours as the mother tries to find food. The crying can happen at night or during the day when the mother should be with the babies. If you see a baby raccoon crying you should not take it unless you can tell that it’s been abandoned.
Do raccoons abandon their babies?
No raccoons seldom abandon their babies. If you find a baby raccoon away from the mother it’s more than likely that the mother is just out foraging for food.
If the baby and the mother are separated for some reason the mother will definitely come back for her baby. The mother will walk for miles just to get back to her litter. She knows that the baby won’t be able to survive without her and does the best she can to ensure their survival.
The only way a mother raccoon won’t come back for her kids is if the kids have a birth defect or she is killed
How can you tell if a baby raccoon is abandoned?
You can tell if the baby raccoon is abandoned if you leave the raccoon out, giving the baby raccoon access to the mother, and she doesn’t come back after a whole overnight period. Because raccoons are nocturnal they will be more active during the night time and when humans are not around.
If the baby is injured or distressed then it is probably orphaned. If the baby looks wounded and as blood over its body then it is probably abandoned. The mothers are generally very good at taking care of the baby, if the baby is not well taken care of it is probably abandoned. If the baby is crawling with insects then it is probably abandoned. If the baby cries for over 24 hours then it is also probably abandoned.
What do you feed a baby raccoon without a mother?
If you find a baby raccoon and don’t know if the mother has abandoned it you should not feed it anything. It will cry because of hunger and the mother will be drawn to it and come get her baby. You should let this process happen without human interruption. The mother is the best candidate to raise her young.
If you leave it out overnight and the mother doesn’t come for her baby then you first need to call your wildlife rehabilitation centres before anything else. As you’re waiting for the raccoon to be picked up you should not feed it.
If the raccoon is too weak, traumatized or dehydrated it will most probably not be able to digest whatever food you give anyway. If you force-feed it anything the food or drink can make its way to the lungs and cause death.
Note: Taking care of a baby raccoon should be a temporary thing. Raising a raccoon is not advisable. If for some reason there is no wildlife rehabilitation centre accessible to you then there are a few food choices you can give the baby raccoon:
One of the things you can give it is Pedialyte. This is a widely used electrolyte drink that is usually given to human babies. This drink hydrates the baby. You can also give them a kitten milk replacement. This milk is given to kittens and is very close too raccoons milk. If for some reason you can’t get the kitten milk replacement you’ll have to settle for Esbilac. This is available at pet stores and is a good enough alternative to raccoon milk.
What should I do if I see a raccoon in my yard?
If you see a raccoon in your yard the best thing to do is to get rid of it or remove anything that the raccoon is drawn to. The killing of raccoons is prohibited in certain jurisdictions so you want to look up the laws before you think about killing these animals. Here are some things you can do to get rid of your raccoon problem without killing it:
Bring pet food in: Raccoons eat all kinds of things including pet food. To prevent them from coming onto your property and staying because of the pet food make sure you bring pet food in.
Secure trash cans: Raccoons eat anything including trash, secure your trash cans so raccoons can’t dig into your trash looking for food. You can also use mint fragranced trash bags, these repel raccoons, racoons hate the smell.
Electric fence: Raccoons are great at climbing. To get these animals off of your property use an electric fence so they can’t get in in the first place. You can attach an electric fence charger to your fence wire, this one works well.
Here is a longer and more helpful guide on what to do if you see a raccoon in your yard.
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